Melting-furnace.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRI J. J. CHARL-IER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MELTING- FU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,557, dated November26, 1901.

Application filed July 26, 1901- Serial No, 69,832. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRI J. J. CHARLIER,

a citizen `of France, residing in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania, Ahave invented certain Improvements in Melting-Furnaces,oi' which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct a meltingfurnace which can beused in place of ordinary orucibles for melting metals or alloys--suchas copper, brass, tin, &c.- which have a comparatively low meltingpoint,the furnace being one in which the metals can be melted in much lesstime than in the usual crucibles and whereby the charging and pouringofthe metal can be effected with much greater facility than whencrucibles are used.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is 'a longitudinal section of amelting-furnace constructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2is a transverse section of the same on the line a a, Fig. 1.

The body l of the furnace is in the present instance of cylindrical formand is composed of an outer casing of sheet metal provided with asuitable refractory lining, said furnace-body being mounted so as to befreely rotatable around its central horizontal axis. This mounting maybe effected in any desirable manner; but as shown in the drawings it iseffected by providing one of the heads of the furnace-body with acentral protecting shaft or spindle 2, which is mounted so as to be freeto rotate in a bearing 3, carried by a bracket 4, which may be securedto any suitable support-such as the wall of a room or apartment or apost or column therein-- or may, if desired, 'be extended downwardly, soas to be supported upon the floor. The opposite head of the furnace-bodyhas a projecting hollow hub 5, into which the refractory lining of thefurnace extends, and this nnb is slung within the lower loop of anendless chain 7, whose upper loop passes around a pulley 9, carried by ayoke 10, which is suspended from a hook 11, supported in any availablemanner above the furnace.

The interior of the furnace-body contains a chamber 12 of bottle shape,the contracted neck 13 of this chamber extending through the hollow hub5 of said furnace-bod y.

Projecting upwardly from the meltingchamber, near that end of the sameopposite to the neck, is a tapering hopper 14, lined with refractorymaterial in the same manner as the furnace-body and its hub, and alateral pouring-opening 15 extends through one side of the furnace-body,this opening being so located that it will, when the furnace is in itsnormal or operative position, be above the levelof the melted chargetheremelted charge from tho chamber when the furnace-body is turned onits axis in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, so as to carry theopening 15 downwardly.

The outer end of the central shaft or spindle 2 of the furnace-body issquared or otherwise formed for the reception of an operating lever orhandle, whereby the turning movement of the furnace can be readilyeffected, or such turning movement may be caused by power applieddirectly to the body of the furnace or to the suspending-chain 7.

Adjacent to and in line with the neck 13 of the chamber 12 of thefurnace is a nozzle 16, communicating with a vertical pipe 17, throughwhich a supply of air underpressure may be conveyed to the nozzle, and apipe 19 communicates with a pipe 26, which receives a supply of liquidhydrocarbon under pressure, said pipe 19 being bent at its lower end andpassing through a stuffing-box 20 at the back of the'nozzle 16, butprojecting into the latter to such an'extent that the jet issuing fromthe forward end or nozzle of said pipe 19. will mingle with the supplyof air descending the pipe 17, whereby the jet issuing spray mixed witha supply of air ample to afford the necessary volume of oxygen for theperfect combustion of the hydrocarbon, such combustion taking place inthe chamber 12 of the furnace-body and in the tapering hopper 14, fromwhich the products of combustion escape.

The metal to be melted is introduced into ter that it will bridge thelower portion of said hopper, so that it can be piled therein, and willbe supported within the hopper until it is melted, whereupon it flowsdown into the chamber 12 of the furnace and collects in the lowerportion of the Same, fresh metal being the tapering hopper 14 and is ofsuch Girare-.c-

in, but will permit of the out-flow of said from the nozzle 16 will becomposed of an oil IOO supplied either' continuously or at intervals tothe upper portion of the hopper until a charge of the required volumehas accumulated in the chamber 12 and is ready to be poured therefrom,the products of combustion traversing the chamber serving to maintainthe charge in the bottomof the same in molten condition after it hasbeen melted and run into the same.

The pipe 17 has a valve 21, and the pipe 19 has a valve 22, so that theflow of air and liquid hydrocarbon can be regulated to a nicety and theproportions of air and hydrocarbon supplied to the nozzle 1G thusgoverned in such a way as to effect perfect combustion of saidhydrocarbon, whereby the formation of smoke is effectually prevented andthe use of a chimney or stack in connection with the furnace is renderedunnecessary.

In order that the nozzle 1G may be thrown` back out of the Way when itis desired to inspect the interior of the furnace through the neck 13,said nozzle is hinged to the llower end of the pipe 17 at 23 and isnormally held in position by a clamp -bolt 2t engaging anges on the pipeand nozzle, as shown in Fig. 1, and the pipe 19 is likewise movable,being hung by a swinging joint 25 to the fixed supply-pipe 26.

' By means of my im proved furnace the metal to be melted is subjectedin a small quantity at a time to the full fiow of the products ofcombustion. Hencerapid meltingofthemetal can be effected, the operationrequiring much less time than is required when crucibles are used forthe purpose, as in the ordinary pro'- cedure, and the pouring of themolten metal from the furnace can be effected with facility, and saidmetal can be discharged directly into the molds or flasks in which it isto be cast.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patentl. A melting-furnace consisting of a body containing astorage-chamber and mounted so as to be free to turn around a horizontalaxis, and means for supplying fuelin vapor or gaseous form to saidchamber, said furnace-body having a hopper for receiving the metal to bemelted, through which hopper the 5o products of combustion escape fromthe storage-chamber of the furnace, substantially as specified. l

2. A inciting-furnace consisting of a'body free to turn around avhorizontal axis and containing a storage chamber for the molten metal,and means for supplying fuel in vapor or gaseous form to said chamber,said body having a hopper-,which receives the metal to be melted andalso constitutes an outlet for the products of combustion from thestorage chamber and the body of the furnace also having a lateralpouring-opening, substantially as specified.

3. The combination in a melting-furnace, of a body containing astorage-chamber with contracted neck contained in a hollow hub at oneend of the furnace-body, a hopper cornmunicating with saidstorage-chamber and serving to receive the metal to be melted, and alsoas an outlet for the products of combustion, means for supplying fuel inthe form of gas or vapor to the contracted neck of the storage-chamber,a pivot shaft or spindle, and a bearing therefor at that end of thefurnace opposite to the contracted neck, and a suspension-chain forsupporting the hollow hub which contains the contracted neck of thefurnace, substantially as specified.

4. The combination in a melting-furnace, of the furnace-body containinga storagecharnber with contracted neck at one end, an air-supply pipehaving a hinged nozzle discharging into said contracted neck, and ahydrocarbon-supply pipe having a hinged section with its endsterminating in said nozzle `whereby both pipe and nozzle can be swungout of the Way when it is desired to gain access to the neck of thefurnace, substantially as specified.

HENRI J. J. CHARLIER.

Witnesses:

F. E. BEoHToLD, Jos. H. KLEIN.

